Wild Childย are something of a wonderful find. Since their inception in 2010, the Austin, Texas group has steadily been capturing the hearts of a rapidly expanding audience, their beautiful, crooning indie-pop vocals and enthralling, organic acoustic instrumentation spanning three studio efforts, helmed by lead vocalistโsย Kelsey Wilsonย ะธย Alexander Beggins. Itโs to their credit that the groupโs gorgeous incandescence has remained so charmingly attractive throughout their still young career, capturing the attention of producerย Ben Kweller, and signing withย Dualtone Recordsย in April 2015, while gradually expanding their sound with additional pop elements in 2015 release,ย Fools.
Withย Wild Childโs fourth effort,ย Expectations, the group opens things with familiar territory; introductory track โAlexโ establishes the perky acoustic instrumentals andย Wilson/Begginsย dynamic so appropriate to the groupโs style, before easing casually into โEggshellsโ gentle saunter, while โBack & Forthโ kicks things into a more upbeat, jazz-inspired backbone. In terms of actual impact, itโs a satisfactory start to the proceedings, albeit perhaps a little too safe; all three are fine, well produced tracks, but familiar ground is certainly being treaded and it really isnโt until โThink It Overโ hits thatย Expectationsโ limited personality really starts to emerge.
Gearing itself towards more contemporary pop influences, while embellished with groovy funk-esque guitar riffage, โThink It Overโ keeps things gracefully moving along, while moodier strings and brass elements are peppered throughout. Lyrically, the track cautiously explores the intimate uncertainty of fresh perspective in the face of a failed relationship, alongside the tentative steps forward, and temptation to step back;
โWell, damn, I think itโs done.ย
Take it back, turn around, ย I start all over again.
Heโll start to pack up, and sheโll pretend sheโs sorry.ย
โWait babe, canโt we be friends?โโ
Continuing onwards throughย Expectations, much of the instrumentation still grounds itself in already established territory, but some far larger ideas and sounds than previous effortsย doย sometimes come into play, such as the slow-burning titular โExpectationsโ. The track builds gradually from an already confident stride to a final explosive leap forward, huge percussion and distortedย Kelsey Wilsonย vocals roaring furiously in the final crescendo, accompanied by a subdued, underlying lead guitar section.
On a more reserved level, the beautifully haunting, acoustic-driven โSinking Shipโ stands easily as a gorgeous highlight for the record; withย Wilsonโs delicate delivery ofย โfeel like wasting time with you, see the rising tide, know itโs only a matter of timeโ, the track gentlyย drifts by until finally entering a section of eerie submerged ambiance, similar to the claustrophobic nature of being underwater. Another fantastic use of atmosphere comes in the form of โMy Townโ, opening in a warm, dramatic fashion into a massive bassline and electric guitar drenched in reverb, the track steadily builds into a huge chorus, andย Kelsey Wilsonโs retaliatory deliverance of one ofย Expectationโs most captivating vocal performances;
โTake it back, burn it down โ oh you bring your body bag
I know youโre right, just hurts my pride โ because I gave you all I had.โย
Unfortunately, despite some truly spectacular moments,ย Expectationsโ greatest weakness is one of simple complacency; sure, โThe Oneโ is pretty and โAlexโ is charming enough, and โFollow Meโ is undeniably beautiful in its own right, few moments on the album stand out to meet the same calibre of โSinking Shipโ, โThink It Overโ or โExpectationsโ. While there isnโt any truly poor material to be found onย Expectations, a sense of the band perhaps being a little too comfortable in their own skin, alongside a slightly overlong running time at 48 minutes, rendersย Wild Childโs fourth effort something perfectly listenable, yet falling short of the mark when it could have been so much more.
